(Farmington) A Farmington couple, arrested back in August of 2018, facing eight felonies each for child endangerment and kidnapping, will have another delay in their court proceedings in St. Francois County court.

Daryl Head and Laura Cheatham will have their trial settings on May 19th but they may have to wait longer than that.

That’s because Prosecuting Attorney Blake Dudley has filed a motion to have a special prosecutor appointed to the case instead of him.

Head and Cheathum, both now 43-years-old, were arrested almost five years ago.

They were arrested after the Missouri Children’s Division found their children being kept inside boxes that were sealed shut with plywood and screws.

MISSOURI CITY, Texas - A former employee of the Department of Family and Protective Services was given a 50-year prison sentence for abusing adopted children.

According to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, Eric Norman Stewart, 66, set up a group home in Missouri City, where he lived, and fostered and adopted several children. 

Evidence presented to a grand jury showed in 2016, Stewart sexually abused both a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old girl in his home for more than two years.

The jury handed down the sentence on March 9 where he was given 50 years in prison for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child

"All children deserve to feel safe in their homes. This defendant betrayed his role as both a father and as an employee within Children’s Protective Services, an agency designed to keep kids safe," Lead prosecutor Alycia Curtis said in a statement. "I’m grateful for this jury’s hard work and their verdict. As a voice for our community, the jury made it clear that there are severe consequences for those who abuse our most vulnerable."

The couple was childless as Anjana faced three miscarriages 

IANS

A couple has been arrested by local police for allegedly torturing and sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl, who was admitted to the Cantonment Board Hospital with brutality injuries.

A case was lodged against Arun Sinha, a teacher by profession, and his wife Anjana based on the complaint made by Newa police outpost in-charge Preet Pandey for digital rape, assault, and other relevant sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act, said officials. According to police, primary investigations have revealed that the accused couple, originally from Patna, were living in an apartment in Preetam Nagar locality of Prayagraj.

The couple was childless as Anjana faced three miscarriages.

Last year, the couple adopted a 10-year-old girl from an orphanage in Lucknow. However, they soon started torturing her.

The girl was admitted to the hospital with a fracture in her arm.

During the girl's examination, doctors not only found torture marks on her body but also pieces of wood from her private parts.

The accused has been sent to jail, confirmed SHO Dhoomanganj Rajesh Kumar Maurya.

 

A case was lodged against Arun Sinha, a teacher by profession, and his wife Anjana based on the complaint made by Newa police outpost in-charge Preet Pandey.

PRAYAGRAJ A city-based couple was booked by local police on Sunday for allegedly torturing and sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl, who was admitted to the Cantonment Board Hospital on Friday with brutality injuries.

A case was lodged against Arun Sinha, a teacher by profession, and his wife Anjana based on the complaint made by Newa police outpost in-charge Preet Pandey for digital rape, assault, and other relevant sections of the IPC and the Pocso Act, said officials.

According to police, primary investigations have revealed that the accused couple, originally from Patna, were living in an apartment in Preetam Nagar locality of Prayagraj. The couple was childless as Anjana faced three miscarriages. Last year, the couple adopted a 10-year-old girl from an orphanage in Lucknow. However, they soon started torturing her.

The girl was admitted to the hospital with a fracture in her arm. During the girl’s examination, doctors not only found torture marks on her body but also pieces of wood from her private parts. The accused duo was sent to jail on Sunday, confirmed SHO Dhumanganj Rajesh Kumar Maurya.

TIM HAHN   Erie Times-News

MEADVILLE — Mary E. Diehl, the Crawford County woman charged with giving her 11-year-old adopted son with special needs a fatal dose of windshield washer fluid to drink in September 2021, declined to address the court on Wednesday as she awaited sentencing.

Diehl, 64, had pleaded no contest on Friday, without admitting guilt, to third-degree murder in the death of Najir W. Diehl, whose death authorities determined was caused by a lethal dose of methanol consumed on Sept. 5, 2021, a day before Diehl reported the boy's passing.

Diehl's decision to stay silent on Wednesday, when Crawford County Judge Mark Stevens sentenced her to serve 10 to 20 years in prison on the charge, eliminated any possibility of getting a more clear picture of why Diehl filled a cup with lions and bears on it half-full with washer fluid and gave it to Najir to drink, an act Pennsylvania State Police investigators said Diehl admitted to two months after the boy's death.

The only information presented publicly as to a motive in the case came from the statements of state police investigator who testified at Diehl's preliminary hearing in December 2021. He said Diehl said she gave Najir the fluid to drink because she wanted to "free him," and when the trooper asked her what would happen if the boy drank it she replied, he "passes," according to the testimony.

There is no report available regarding death of children after their adoption from these agencies: Centre

THE HINDU BUREAU

A total of 79 children have died between April to December, 2022, in Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs) majorly due to unsafe abandonments which exposed them to harm like being bitten by animals or asphyxia. Very low birth weight and premature birth were some of the other reasons.

However, there is no report available regarding death of children after their adoption from these agencies, the Ministry of Women and Child Development informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The Ministry said that for improving quality child care in Child Care Institutions (CCIs), particularly in SAAs, Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has been advising the agencies through circulars and through various training and development activities.

The minor was adopted by accused Ajay Bhati's wife Anjana alias Sanjana, police said, adding that it is alleged that the accused sexually assaulted her on several occasions.

Ghaziabad News - Press Trust of India

Ghaziabad (UP): A man was on Tuesday arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and killing his four-year-old adopted daughter in Ghaziabad, police said.

The minor was adopted by accused Ajay Bhati's wife Anjana alias Sanjana, police said, adding that it is alleged that the accused sexually assaulted her on several occasions.

On March 11, the girl told Bhati that she would narrate her ordeal to Sanjana, following which, he slapped her and later, strangled her to death, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Trans Hindan, Vivek Chandra Yadav said.

Ghaziabad (UP), Mar 14 (PTI) A man was on Tuesday arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and killing his four-year-old adopted daughter here, police said.

The minor was adopted by accused Ajay Bhati's wife Anjana alias Sanjana, police said, adding that it is alleged that the accused sexually assaulted her on several occasions.

On March 11, the girl told Bhati that she would narrate her ordeal to Sanjana, following which, he slapped her and later, strangled her to death, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Trans Hindan, Vivek Chandra Yadav said.

(remainder of article is behind pay wall)

The plea agreement would have given the failed South Dakota Senate candidate no jail time in exchange for a guilty plea

By Hunter Dunteman

WHITE RIVER, S.D. — A failed South Dakota Senate candidate accused of sexually assaulting an underage relative has had a plea agreement that would have spared him jail time denied by a judge.

Sixth Circuit Judge Margo Northrup on Monday rejected a plea agreement in the case of Joel Koskan, of Wood, who currently faces one count of felony child abuse.

The charge stems from May 6, 2022, when a retired DCI agent contacted county and state investigators seeking assistance in a sexual assault investigation involving a 19-year-old woman who is related to Koskan. According to the retired agent, the woman disclosed that Koskan had been “raping her since she was a young child.”

TIM HAHN   Erie Times-News

A Crawford County woman accused of fatally poisoning her adopted special needs son in September 2021 pleaded no-contest to third-degree murder in the case days before she was scheduled for trial.

Mary E. Diehl, 64, entered the no-contest plea before Crawford County Judge Mark Stevens on Friday morning, according to her lawyer, Eric Hackwelder. Diehl is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday afternoon.

Hackwelder said Diehl faces a range of sentencing of no less than six to 12 years in prison to no more than 10 to 20 years on the plea.

Diehl's plea came as jury selection was scheduled to begin on Monday for her trial in Crawford County. Hackwelder and prosecutors said during a pre-trial hearing in September that they expected the trial to take about a week.